Choose Risk

“To dare is to lose one's footing momentarily. To not dare is to lose oneself.”
--Soren Kierkegaard

I spent my weekend indulging in nostalgia, scanning-and-posting pictures of old adventures and twenty year old family photos onto my private Face Book account. One album contained photos of my climbing adventures: in the past few years I summitted Mt. Adams, Mt. Baker, Mt. Olympus, and Mt. Rainier as well as a 13,000’ peak (Warminwanusqua) on the Inca Trail enroute to Machu Picchu. Upon viewing my album, an old high school friend commented that I certainly lived life to its fullest. I contemplated leaving it at that, because I certainly try to live life to its fullest, but it didn’t feel completely honest to me to make it seem like I am simply an adventurer, motivated by adrenalin alone. Instead, I believe that the biggest part of living life to its fullest is daring to do that which terrifies you. I climbed those mountains because friends inspired me, and because I wanted to push myself outside my comfort zone.

Mark Twain once said, “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear...” Each of those climbs forced me to face my own fear and keep going if I wanted to make it to the top. On the Rainier summit, it was my feelings of responsibility to the mostly rookie team that overrode my fear. On Olympus, it was sheer determination and the choice to place my life and my trust in my brother’s hands that allowed me to scramble and rappel up the last few hundred feet despite the 1000’ foot drop to my left side. On Mt. Adams, my first summit, my friend and guide coaxed and cajoled me over a particularly rocky spot with crevasses too close for comfort beneath me. Each of those climbs brought me to tears at one point, but I got through it by remembering to breathe and to concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other.

I believe nearly everyone experiences deep wounds or dark nights when life seems unbearably painful. In my experience, when you are living those moments, the best response is to simply breathe, put one foot in front of the other, and get through each day. Friends, family, and even your version of God may seem too far away, or too intangible for comfort. But time always passes, and even the deepest wounds heal if you bring them into the light. Think of all your favorite stories. All the greatest heroes had to go through the shadows in order to come out into the light. Each time they win a battle, they come out stronger and more confident, more ready to take on the next challenge.

I encourage you to look at your life as a hero’s journey, and remember that fear is always based either on experiences from the past or an imagined future state. There is no fear in the present moment. In each moment, there is only choice. As Soren Kierkegaard said, you might lose your footing temporarily, but if you don’t risk, you lose yourself.

Choose risk. Learn to stand with yourself in discomfort, breathe deeply, and take a small step forward towards your new life.